This invention relates in general to weight measuring devices, more particularly, to an onboard device for measuring the weight of a load applied to a vehicle.
Accurate determination of the weight of a vehicle is important in the freight hauling business because of weight limitations imposed on vehicles by many states. Weight scales are commonly used for determining the weight of a load but they are often not available or are located a considerable distance from the location where a truck driver takes on a new load. The trucker must then estimate the weight of the load and this often results in the vehicle weight being above the legal limit. The trucker then risks receiving a ticket or a fine for violating state weight restrictions. In order to ensure that the vehicle is not overloaded, the trucker may take on a load significantly below that which would otherwise be allowable. This is undesirable in those situations where the truck driver's compensation is based upon the weight of the load being hauled.
Even when weight scales are available, there are normally lines of vehicles waiting to use the scales. The resulting delays can pose significant problems for truckers who are following a tight schedule. This can be a particularly acute problem in situations where the weight is determined to be above or significantly below the legal limit. The truck must then be returned to the loading dock to remove or add some cargo. The vehicle should then be reweighed to ensure that the vehicle weight is correct. Significant delays can also occur in situations where the weight of the load rather than the overall weight of the vehicle must be determined. In such cases the vehicle must be weighed while empty to establish a vehicle to determine a gross weight. To avoid these delays
ed with conventional weighing facilities, many loads are simply hauled without being weighed.